Prestfelde Preparatory School unveils new chapel

Guests including the Bishop of Shrewsbury, governors, parents, pupils and staff gathered at Prestfelde School in London Road for an opening ceremony and blessing.

The building has been made possible by a substantial donation by former Prestfelde pupil David Blackburn OBE, who is now 83 years old. His son Mark travelled from London to perform the official launch, telling guests that his father, who now lives in the Caribbean, would be extremely proud of the magnificent new facility.

“My father would be very happy to see this wonderful building which he helped to fund and design. I knew that I was coming today to see a new chapel and theatre but I had no idea how impressive the building would be,” he said.

His father, who attended Prestfelde in the 1940s after being evacuated from London during the war, went on to become a highly successful businessman, founding Colt Cars with Mitsubishi and owning a top race horse stables in Ireland.

The Blackburn Chapel and Theatre includes a multi-functional hall with a total capacity of 350 and retractable seating for 280, making it suitable for a range of events. It also features a refurbished five-stop organ, a stage area for performances and a contemplation room which will be also used as the ‘Green Room’ for performances.

Prestfelde headmaster Mark Groome thanked David Blackburn for his generosity and paid tribute to other fund raising work undertaken for the projec over the last two years by parents, as well as former parents and pupils.

He told the audience at the opening: “This is a very exciting development for Prestfelde - it considerably enhances our facilities and will also be available for hire by the local community so we hope as many people as possible will make us of it in years to come.”

The opening ceremony included a blessing of the chapel by the Rt. Reverend Mark Rylands, the Bishop of Shrewsbury.

Prestfelde educates around 300 boys and girls aged from three to 13 drawn from throughout the county.